Giving my flock barley mixed

[LindaB220]

I do not sprout my barley - did not know I had to??? I just mix it with their food. Should I completely stop giving them barley?

Look into the idea of fermented feed. It's easy, saves money, so healthy for your birds and they assimilate up to 12% more of the food. In other words, no corn in the poop. Fill a 5 gallon bucket 1/2 full of water and start adding grains or feed. Stirring as you go. When it's too dry, add more water. Lightly cover with a lid half on or a towel. Stir daily for 4-5 days. When it bubbles or smells like pickles it's done. Feed down to about 1/5 of the container and add more water and feed. Stir and cover and it's ready the next morning. Always keep some and it's done overnight. If you have an interest here is a site of a lady I trust to give the right info.

http://tikktok.wordpress.com/2014/04/13/fermented-feed-faq/

 

[RJSorensen]

I tried a batch of fermented feed a while back, and it worked out very well. I've been too busy building the new coop and fixing up the old to use it now, or every day. But as soon as I get the birds moved into the new hen house, I am going to try and use it all the time. It was something to watch, that first batch, they looked at it like… what is this? Until one dug in and then it was like mayhem around the feed dish. I have never seen anything quite like it.

I read through the loooong thread that Beekissed has on FF and I have found that thread to be one of the most useful threads on BYC. It was started with meat birds in mind, but works as well or better on laying hens and roosters.

Anyway, I think that fermented feed (FF) is the way to go, if you are so inclined.

Regards,

RJ

 

[ezicash]

Great. Got my first 5 gal bucket bubbling already. I added their mixed food/corn/barley all together with water gently put lid on top and walked away. Will start my second batch tonight. I am so excited come friday to feed my first batch to my 4 Rhode island reds. Thanks for sharing the link with me so i can do all the reading. I hope adding this mixture together was OK?

 

[LindaB220]

The only way to make barley fully digest able for chickens is to add the exact enzyme that the chicken lacks into the feed and can only be done commercially!!

http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/agnic/flax/docs/Small_new%20crops%20for%20canadian.doc

"Pigs and chickens are monogastric (non-ruminant) animals, which are unable to digest the fibrous hull. Barley is useful for most classes of livestock, although poultry lack the enzyme to digest beta-glucans, a water-soluble fiber "

http://www.extension.org/pages/68431/feeding-barley-to-poultry#.U6x_gH-9KSM

"Poultry cannot digest barley's carbohydrates as easily as those of corn because of the amount of non-starch polysaccharides (NSPs) in barley. The carbohydrates of corn grain are typically 65% to 70% starch and 11% to 14% fiber. In contrast, barley grains typically contain 60% starch and 22% fiber. As early as 1928, reports described the poor performance of birds fed barley-based diets. The poor performance was originally believed to be because of barley's high fiber content, but hull-less barley cultivars show similar performance levels to that of the hulled cultivars. The antinutritional factor identified in barley grain is beta-glucans (ß-glucan), which, because of its chemical structure, cannot be easily digested by poultry. The beta-glucans bind with water in the intestine, resulting in the formation of gels and increasing the viscosity of the intestinal contents. The increased intestinal viscosity reduces the availability of the nutrients in the diet. It can also cause sticky droppings, resulting in increased incidence of "pasty butt."

@Irishhenman, I think I may have to eat my words on this. Irishhenman was correct on regular barley. It has a thick hull. The only way to eat and digest is to crimp or roll. There are two kinds of barley. The regular and the hulled barley. Hulled barley is a kind that has a very thin skin and breaks down easily. That's what you want to buy. It's almost like oats. I can't ferment or sprout oats. It's takes days and days just to soften and they won't eat it. So apologies, Irishhenman

 

[ezicash]

The barley i use comes from brewing beer (looks like mash) so it is already soften then i ferment it for 4-5 days...don't you think that the barley should be ok to digest?

here is a link from a women that has fed her chickens fermeted food for a year http://www.gardenbetty.com/2013/05/why-and-how-to-ferment-your-chicken-feed/

 

[LindaB220]

The barley i use comes from brewing beer (looks like mash) so it is already soften then i ferment it for 4-5 days...don't you think that the barley should be ok to digest?

It should be fine. I wouldn't use a lot. Because of the fiber. Like oats.

 

[ezicash]

I am on day 2 of my 5 gal fermented bucket. Word to the wise....do not fill the bucket to top when it starts fermenting and swells it grows OH MY! Leave room at the top for fermentation and water soaked grains.

 

[ezicash]

Nope, i used maybe 1 cup to a 5 gal mixture. maybe on my next batch i can add 2 cups instead.

 

[centrarchid]

@Irishhenman,   I think I may have to eat my words on this.   Irishhenman was correct on regular barley.   It has a thick hull.  The only way to eat and digest is to crimp or roll.  There are two kinds of barley.  The regular and the hulled barley.  Hulled barley is a kind that has a very thin skin and breaks down easily.   That's what you want to buy.   It's almost like oats.  I can't ferment or sprout oats.  It's takes days and days just to soften and they won't eat it.     So apologies, Irishhenman   

I routinely soak oats during winter. Birds will consume it first relative many other diet components. Duration of fermentation time and temperature both important to make nutrients more available.

 

[Irishhenman]

The barley i use comes from brewing beer (looks like mash) so it is already soften then i ferment it for 4-5 days...don't you think that the barley should be ok to digest?

here is a link from a women that has fed her chickens fermeted food for a year http://www.gardenbetty.com/2013/05/why-and-how-to-ferment-your-chicken-feed/

That mash is probably just spend grain after the brewing process with is mainly made from the indigestible hulls